Over, Under
by humanveil
Summary: Hux braids Kylo's hair.


It starts without any thought.

Kylo is sleeping, his body half sprawled across Hux's, his head resting against the General's stomach. Hux is watching him, hand resting gently atop Kylo's scalp, deft fingers moving through the soft curls.

It wasn't unusual for them to be like that. Hux looking over him while he slept was a habit Kylo had long since grown accustomed to. He'd never admit it, but he enjoyed it; sharing a space with the General was often the only time he slept peacefully, and the knowledge of Hux watching him created a sense of protectiveness that only added to Kylo's comfort.

As for Hux, he merely enjoys the peaceful look that graces Kylo's face in slumber; the edges of his face softening in a way that was entirely unlike his usual look.

He likes playing with the long strands of hair; his fingers move through it aimlessly, mindlessly. Privately, he finds it rather soothing.

Hux doesn't even notice as his fingers manipulate the locks into a loose plat. It's only a small fraction of Kylo's hair, a few strands residing near his left ear, but he likes it; likes how it folds easily for him, taming the usual mess of curls.

When it comes to his attention, he tries to add to it. All he manages to do is pull on the hair, though, and it momentarily wakes Kylo. One of Kylo's eyes cracks open, looking up at him groggily, his face still contorted with sleep. The words are endearingly mumbled when he asks, "Are you watching me again?"

 _Again._ Hux represses the urge to sigh. He'd been caught once, and the other man had never let him live it down. Still, Hux knows he's more than half asleep, and that he probably won't remember his response, so he sees no reason to lie.

"Yes."

Another mumbled word (Hux thinks it may have been something akin to 'weird', but there was no way to know for sure), and then Kylo nuzzles his face back against Hux's body, soft snores filling the room mere moments after.

Hux uses his fingers to gently brush the plat from Kylo's hair, and watches the soft rise and fall of his chest until unconsciousness tugs at his own mind.

xxx

"Sit."

"What?"

"Sit on the bed."

Kylo looks up from where he's running a towel over his chest. He's fresh from the shower, standing only in a pair of black boxers, his torso bare and covered in tiny droplets of water, damp hair running down his neck and teasing his shoulders.

"Why?"

"I want to try something," Hux replies, moving to a draw and rummaging through the contents.

Kylo watches, only moving to the bed when it becomes obvious that Hux won't elaborate. He shifts the towel to his hair and sits so he can watch Hux, his interest peaked. 'Something' wasn't sexual; Hux refused in the mornings (something about looking _proper_ ), so he had little to no idea what it could mean.

After a moment, the General turns to him, a hair brush held in one hand. Kylo stares at it for a moment, brow furrowed.

"You want to…" he trails off, waiting for Hux to finish the sentence. Obviously, he knows what the use of a hairbrush is; he just isn't accustomed to seeing one in Hux's hands.

"Braid your hair," Hux offers, as if it was obvious. "Turn around."

More than a little confused, Kylo gives the brush another glance before obeying; adjusting so he sits cross legged near the edge of the mattress, his back to Hux's front. He can feel the other man move towards him, but the first touch of Hux's hand to his hair is still a surprise.

Hux uses his fingers to push Kylo's hair back, so it falls down his back rather than his face, and moves the brush to the top of Kylo's head. He takes his time removing all the knots, smirking at each grimace Kylo makes when Hux pulls at his hair a little too roughly. He says nothing, though; just sits with his eyes shut and head tilted back, silently enjoying the feel of it all.

Once all of the knots are gone, Hux drops the brush on the mattress next to them. Kylo sees it from the corner of his eye, but doesn't speak until Hux's fingers are pulling at the hair near his forehead, separating the curls into three smaller strands.

"Did you learn how to braid hair just for this?"

"No."

Kylo snorts at the obvious lie. "How'd you learn?" And then, "Could you be a little gentler? You keep pulling at it."

"I do not," Hux says, pulling the hair tight to start the braid. "I'm making it look nice."

"It already looked fine," Kylo responds, but there's no heat in his voice. Instead, it's almost playful. Amused.

"We obviously have different definitions of fine."

A huff of a laugh passes through Kylo's lips, and he has to refrain from turning to look at Hux as he replies, "It suited your needs just fine last night."

"That was last night," Hux murmurs, drawing another breathy laugh from Kylo. "Stay still."

Kylo quiets as Hux continues his movements, slim fingers moving quickly, adding more and more of Kylo's hair as he goes. Hux is surprisingly skilled at it, and Kylo finds he enjoys the way it makes him feel. It's sort of… tingly.

Hux's deft hands continue on their path, and Kylo lets his eyes flutter shut once more, almost drifting off. While his hair is long enough to braid, it's still relatively short. Hux finishes in a few moments, folding the curls together in a perfect braid until there's barely an inch of Kylo's hair free.

"There," Hux says as he ties it off, and Kylo can _hear_ how proud he is of himself. "Now you look less like an unkempt savage and more like a commander."

Kylo snorts and immediately stands, moving his head from side to side to stretch his neck. He walks towards the mirror, inspecting the job. "Not bad."

"It's perfect," Hux tells him, tone of voice bordering petulant.

Kylo's lips are tilted upwards when he looks back at Hux. "I suppose you expect me to thank you?"

Hux throws the discarded towel at him and makes his way to the bathroom. "No. I expect you to be out of here by the time I'm done with my shower."

Kylo doesn't bother responding, just finishes dressing to the sound of Hux showering. He stares at himself in the mirror as he fixes his robe, adjusting the fabric around his neck so it sits more comfortably.

He hides the braids under his helmet, unable to bring himself to take them out.

xxx

It becomes a _thing;_ something they do without ever talking about.

Kylo will wordlessly come into Hux's quarters at night and sit on the bed, hands running through freshly washed hair as he watches the General clean up for the night; waiting. Hux will grab the brush from the bedside draw (where it now rests alongside various hair ties and pins), and start to slowly brush the wet curls without ever acknowledging him verbally.

Other times, Hux will find him in his own room. He'll walk in, exhaustion and annoyance coming off of him in waves. He doesn't rant, doesn't shout, just motions for Kylo to sit down so he can braid. (If, during those times, he pulls more than usual, Kylo doesn't mention it. He's experienced much worse, after all).

It's ridiculous, really, and not dissimilar to how their sexual relationship had started. Yet, like that aspect of their lives, neither seemed to want to stop. It was something they could to together to relieve stress, something that didn't include clutching and clawing at each other's skin (not that _that_ had stopped; it was just nice to have less volatile outlet).

Despite its absurdity, the calming activity found its way into their dysfunctional routine, and Hux found his fingers buried in Kylo's hair nearly every night.

"Are you growing your hair out?" he asks one time, fingernails scratching Kylo's scalp as his hands move through the thick curls.

The answer is obvious, but Hux wants to hear the other man say it; which is probably why all he gets in response is a, "Shut up and braid, General."

Lips tilting up into a smile, Hux sees no reason not to.


End file.
